


we can be brave

by ForeverDoesntExist



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Future Fic, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Matchmaking, Valentine's Day contest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29434176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverDoesntExist/pseuds/ForeverDoesntExist
Summary: All of us have a past full of missed chances and heartbreak.What most of us don't have is a son and ex-girlfriend that just want you to get laid.
Relationships: Javier Fernández & Marina Riolobos, Javier Fernández/Yuzuru Hanyu
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31
Collections: Valentine's Day Contest





	we can be brave

**Author's Note:**

> My take for this Valentine's Day Fic Contest! 
> 
> I've chosen Prompt 9 - A blind date with a surprising outcome.

“Wallet?”

“Got it.”

“Keys?”

“Yup.”

“Phone?”

“Miguel, I’m not five.”

“Condoms?”

“Miguel Fernández!”

Now, what you should ask is not what is Javier about to be part of or what exactly did his son plan for him on this romantic holiday, but why would he let himself get roped into this insane and built-to-fail plan in the first place.

Oh, that’s right! Javier had foolishly promised his adorable and soon-to-be disowned son that he would get him anything he wanted if he came out first in this stupid competition’s short program. Which had just finished hours ago.

Why had Javier made such a promise? Because he had been butthurt and it wasn’t even about Miguel winning over Kei, the new superstar in town, it was about messing with the other’s coach. It sounded like he had used his own kid for his petty affair but it wasn’t like that at all, in fact, it had motivated him enough for him to win.

It was just a smart and efficient technique. At least that’s what he told himself so that he could sleep better at night.

As soon as Miguel Fernández had stepped out of the arena with his shit-eating grin, Javier knew it wasn’t just because he had gotten a few points of leverage over the Japanese skater, but because some nefarious plan was on that kid’s mind already.

To no one’s surprise, it was amazingly easy to manipulate him even after eighteen years of parenthood, and everyone in his family seemed to know it except him. Maybe he had an inkling about it but how exactly could you deny wobbling lips and watery eyes when they demanded a skate-shaped cake on their tenth birthday? It was just not possible.

And that’s why he was standing in the middle of his hotel room, looking like a trapped penguin inside a fancy tux and a bouquet of red roses laying on the couch away from his nervous hands and the disaster that would befall them if Javier touched them before the estimated time of departure for his impending doom.

Maybe he was just being overdramatic, but then again, he hadn’t had a date in…ten years? Yes, it sounded even sadder when he did the math, which he was not sure about since math wasn’t even his forte-

“Hey, I’m just keeping you safe! Who knows, maybe your date will end up being interesting and you’ll have a good night for once in your life?”

“I resent that!”

Of course. Miguel just couldn’t have planned all of this on his own. 

Obviously fucking not.

Marina just had to be in it too. Because that’s what your ex-girlfriend does, she helps your son set you up on a blind date for Valentine’s day just for giggles. Javier guessed that it could be much worse, right?

“Where did you even come from?”

Miguel innocently got the room card back from his mother’s hand and gestured towards the clock as if distracting from the important questions, said clock told them that Javier had ten minutes before he had to leave and meet this mysterious date. That could possibly end up being a murderer or a crazy person, not that his son and ex-girlfriend apparently cared.

“Miguel said he needed help so I stuck around after the competition.” Marina looked at Javier’s shaking frame and seemed to ponder on whether she should use her medical knowledge or skip that and just slap some sense into him, “And he was right, you’re a mess.”

Perhaps he wouldn’t look like a shaking chihuahua if his soon-to-be-homeless son had at least told him more about this date. He wouldn’t even tell him if it would be a man or a woman, which wouldn’t matter to him anyway but that would at least prepare him better.

Or not. Javier just really wanted this day to end so he could go to sleep and rest his tired bones, being almost fifty was no walk in the park even if everyone told him how great he looked.

People always said that looks could be deceiving and Javier was proof of it after spending fifteen minutes getting his right knee to work every morning for the last twenty years.

“Thank you, Marina! That’s so helpful, I feel so much better.”

Marina shrugged and picked up the discarded bouquet, fixing the flowers somewhat back into the original shape, she looked impressed with the arrangement which was something. “This is some beautiful work, I’m sure they will love it.”

Javier hadn’t paid much attention to it, but now that he saw it on Marina’s hands against the light, he could spot the golden hues on the roses’ petals as if they had been painted by hand. It wasn’t very noticeable or attention calling but when the light hit the flowers at a certain angle it made the gold shine against the strong red and they looked surreal.

_“Why do you like red so much?”_

_“Why wouldn’t I like it? Red represents love and passion, but it can also symbolize strength, power, and dedication. Aren’t those so much desirable traits to achieve than love?_

“Dad?”

“Humn?” Javier looked over at his son and willed the memories to go away. Something he had learned to do so well for the last two decades.

“You have nothing to worry about, if you don’t feel comfortable with this person you can just leave and come home. Mom will be here with me and we can watch a movie together.”7

Despite the whole thing being completely rushed, out of the blue and ridiculous, Javier wanted to try. He knew how his son and Marina wanted him to be happy and find someone to share his life with after everything that he had gone through. Javier couldn’t understand how Miguel had managed to get a reservation anywhere in town on Valentine’s day out of all days on such short notice but, he owed it to himself to just try.

Perhaps he hadn’t forgotten what it was like to be brave.

“I’m sure they won’t be as scary as your mother on our first date.”

“I know how to use needles, get your ass out of here.”

-

“No.”

Javier had already imagined at least sixty different scenarios on which this date could go terribly wrong, in his mind. Maybe if someone above was looking out for him for some random reason, he might end the night with a new friend or something along those lines which wouldn’t be too bad but this…was not one of those imaginary outcomes.

His date had been impressively punctual, which was something that Javier now appreciated even though he had been late all the time when he was younger and felt like his only mission in life was to annoy his coaches by arriving twenty minutes late to any practice session. By the back of the person’s head and shoulders that he could spot as soon he entered the empty restaurant, (how on earth had his son found a deserted restaurant on such a holiday was beyond him), his date was also a male.

In the few seconds it took him to reach the table, he made a mental list of men that Miguel could possibly know in this town in the middle of nowhere if he didn’t count the skaters and their staff.

By the look on his date’s face, they certainly wished Javier had turned out to be one of the skaters’ grandfather instead.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Of all the people in that event, Miguel had chosen to pair him up with Yuzuru Hanyu as his blind date.

Javier didn’t know if he should cry with the irony or just apologize and leave. Yuzuru didn’t look much better and he knew it was a matter of time before he decided what to do for the both of them.

Like always.

“Did we just…”

“Get played by our kids? Yes.”

As far as he knew, Kei and Miguel hated each other after that competition last year that almost went down as the next Tonya Harding versus Nancy Kerrigan showdown, just with fewer broken bones. On the next few competitions they had shared together, both seemed civil with each other but if Kei was anything like his father, he had in no way let go of his grudge against Miguel.

So, when exactly had they bonded enough to set their parents like this?

“Tell Miguel that he doesn’t need to worry about Kei in the free skate tomorrow, he’ll be too busy attending his own funeral.”

Yuzuru dropped a few bills on the table and got up without adding anything more, and it was like Javier was thrown back to a very similar moment many years in the past.

“I’m sorry that they dragged into this, I’m sure they just wanted to prank us.”

And that would be it. Yuzuru would waltz out of the restaurant and they would go back to their countries as if nothing had happened and maybe they would see each other again in another twenty years.

“I should go back, goodbye Javier.”

_“Goodbye, Javi.”_

_“Goodbye, Yuzu.”_

“Wait.”

Before Javier had even noticed what he was doing, he had already grabbed Yuzuru’s wrist and pulled him back to their table. Yuzuru looked at him with those big curious eyes of his demanding an explanation, the same eyes where Javier used to find all the answers before. They looked a bit tired now, a bit wiser but never less beautiful.

“The kids already paid for everything, so we might as well enjoy it don’t you think?”

He didn’t really expect him to agree. Or to look at his face at all after this waste of time on both of their parts but Yuzuru did take a seat let out a sigh as he looked at all the food that had already begun to be presented to them.

Miguel and Kei had a lot to explain.

“I guess you’re right. We should catch up?”

They had years’ worth of stories separating them now, this wouldn’t be a casual conversation by any means and they had to start slow. But, would you call it a start if what they had had never been over in the first place?

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! This will probably be part of this huge crossover that I'm planning between two fandoms, so fingers crossed that I actually get the time!
> 
> If you are 18+ join us in a Figure Skating discord server where we discuss our favorite skaters and RPF! A place for skating fans and authors alike :P
> 
> https://discord.gg/DyxBV5mXg2


End file.
